


Chaos, Havoc and Confusion

by jeza_red



Category: Avengers (Comic), Thor (2011), Thor (Comics)
Genre: Community: norsekink, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-10-16
Updated: 2012-01-14
Packaged: 2017-10-24 16:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/265354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeza_red/pseuds/jeza_red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is a chore, and sometimes Loki wonders why he even bothers. It was not his brightest idea, he is sure of that, but there’s nothing to be done now. S.H.I.E.L.D. is still in shambles, and he will not leave his enemies at the mercy of their... enemies.</p><p>Written for the prompt at #norsekink (http://norsekink.livejournal.com/3231.html?thread=7311007#t7311007)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s an unusual sight, agent Coulson has to admit, staring at the plasma screen in the temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Miss Potts gasps next to him and it pretty much covers his own feelings on the subject.

There’s fire on the screen, and wrecked cars and crumbling walls – nothing unusual whenever Avengers are concerned. A green clad form of their nemesis standing in the middle of the chaos is also not that surprising.

Chaos, havoc and confusion are a natural habitat of this particular half-god as far as Phil is concerned. And he is concerned, concerned a lot, actually.

Because Loki is not standing alone in the centre of the catastrophe, there’s a smaller person in front of him – a very small person. A very small, slightly green person who stands before the Trickster with his head down and looks like a beaten puppy.

And all Loki is missing is the stick in one hand.

But it’s the first sentence that falls from Loki’s lips that really baffles Coulson.

“Want to tell me something, young man?”

The green boy  – that’s less green by the second – lowers his head even more and shuffles his feet.

“...” there’s a mumble that’s so quiet Phil has to strain his ears to hear, but doesn’t get anyway.

Loki probably hears it, because one of his eyebrows wanders up.

He just looks at the kid – and Coulson shudders internally.

He suddenly has a flashback to the time when he was ten years old and tried to teach his grandma’s cat how to fly. She never raised her voice at him as far as he remembers, but that one time he wished she would. Because the way she looked at him made him almost wet himself.

He’s heard that there’s a mutant in America what can shoot laser rays out of his eyes.

But this is something much worse – Disappointment Ray of an angry parent beats any superpower in existence when you’re just ten years old and guilty.

The kid mumbles something else, equally quiet, but it seems to be the right answer, because the STARE finally subsides.

Good, he was starting to get goose bumps.

“Now then, come on,” Loki extends his hand and the boy grasps it quickly. “You will apologise to Steve for breaking his easel when we get home. And then we will all talk about why running away alone is a bad idea.” He tilts his head down to hear another mumble and nods. “Yes, and Tony will apologise for making you angry, I took care of it.”

They disappear in a cloud of smoke just as the first agent gets on the scene.

Agent Coulson stares at the screen until his eyes water. Next to him Miss Potts gives a relieved sigh.

“Okay,” she says quietly.

And that also covers his feelings on the subject pretty well.   


	2. Chapter 2

He doesn’t approach Thor for a long while and vice versa. He just doesn’t see any reason to do so.

There’s no point in tempting fate. Loki knows, he’s tried it few times and it never ended well.

He is busy enough with the other four. Surprisingly, Bruce and Steve are the easiest to deal with – a super-weapon and a radiation-accident. Go figure. Natasha, Clint and Tony are a menace.

Especially young Stark. Intelligence on that scale in someone this young is a trying thing. Add to that Stark’s character and, well, Loki doesn’t know how Frigga managed not to drown him in the closest pond when he was a child himself.  It’s unsettling how similar this boy is to himself, and even more unsettling how Thor watches him sometimes

Natasha is a sweet little girl, but she likes to talk and has a strong urge to reassert herself among all-male company. She kicks them a lot.

Clint is an unruly, moody child that Loki would like nothing more than to lock in a barrel and push down the cliff’s edge. He doesn’t appreciate rudeness –a lesson that every one of his own children learned pretty fast.

Tony, he knows, will be a problem. The similarities between him and tiny Ironman are unsettling.

It is a chore, and sometimes Loki wonders why he even bothers. It was not his brightest idea, he is sure of that, but there’s nothing to be done now. S.H.I.E.L.D. is still in shambles, and he will not leave his enemies on the mercy of their... enemies.

The spell they were hit with is untraceable and a one-way thing. Loki has tried – and how he tried! – but reversing it is clearly out of question. This he’ll have to hand to Victor, he’s always through. 

And also pretty dead, but that’s for another month. Loki can wait, he is a god, he has time.

In the meanwhile he can make sure that his heroes are in good hands.

It just sounds so ridiculous to his own ears and  Loki  knows that he should have left them alone long time ago. He should have just dropped them on Fury’s head or something equally unpleasant, and every time he thinks about it, Loki promises himself that this is the last day, that tomorrow he’ll get rid of the brats and go back to being a general menace of the universe.

That is, right after he makes sure that his Avengers are safe and will stay that way until fit to fight him again.

Because no one can say that Loki is an example of mental health and no one can deny that he does have a strange sentiment towards this particular group of heroes.

As far as he’s concerned, Avengers were created to fight HIM  and that means he has certain rights of ownership over them.  Sometimes they stray, go off to fight another villain, stop another danger to their beloved Midgard and Loki grants them these little distractions. Even he gets bored of repetitiveness and separation makes heart grow fonder... or some such nonsense. So he allows his heroes to stray, knowing that before long they will be back at his call, all their attention focused on him.

It’s a nice thought. It’s so dreadfully boring to be the greatest schemer of the Universe without having someone to foil you at every turn.

That is the reason, Loki thinks, that he even bothers to keep these brats alive.

Well, most of them, because Steve kind of grows on people and Thor is... Thor.

Original plan was that Loki takes his brother away from the wreckage of the battle and damn others, he’s got what he wanted. All he knew in that moment was that Odin will be VERY surprised to have tables turned on him; that, oh look, not only the Allfather could steal heirs and sons whenever he wished! 

It’s a sound plan, a great one, really, but then Loki feels a small green hand grasping his cape and stills.

And then it all goes to Hel, for he is not only a bastard, oh no - he is a _possessive_ bastard.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt called for Loki telling kids some scary stories. Well, here we goXD

Thor is a very quiet, thoughtful child, Loki is surprised to find.

Nothing like the little hellion he remembers him as from their shared youth. He is tall for a six year old, but skinny and his hands are very... gentle. Like Frigga’s hands (and that thought ends here, Loki decides, because there’s a thing like ‘too much.’).

But it’s interesting to see how his brother behaves in his new environment.

He watches over other children, but not like Steve, who is quick to move and do things – like helping Natalka (as she requested to be called) get down from the swing or separate Tony and Clint when their verbal fights get a tad more physical. No, Thor doesn’t do that. He just finds himself a place to sit, high enough that he can see all of them, and just... watches. Like a silent guardian, he watches over the kids, as if some great danger is lurking just around the corner, ready to steal them away.

Loki surmises that his brother is not as stupid, then, as it would seem.

Because even this small, Thor is stronger than all of them together and older than them too (while Steve Rogers looks like a typical eight year old boy by Midgarian standards, Thor looks like he’s in his early fifties by Asgardian measure. It’s all very funny to think about.).

And he’s quiet and alone and Tony Stark can’t seem to accept that.

Which is funny first few times Loki is there to witness it – he is sure that no one, sans himself of course, ever got away with calling Thor “goldilocks” or a “princess”. It’s really telling how his brother’s face gets steadily more pink and his small blond eyebrows knit together in irritation. Of course Thor is not angry, Loki knows, it takes much more than playground taunts to make a prince of Asgard snap... but somewhat, it doesn’t sit well with him.

Because Thor is Loki’s brother and Stark is taking liberties here. And Stark is thin and dark-haired and smart, and quick-witted, and Loki finds that he can’t STAND him. It’s twisted and crazy, but there it is – Thor is his fucking brother!

Loki is okay with the thought of other villains targeting Thor – eight times out of ten he will even help them. He has nothing against Thor having friends – that only means more weak points in his armour. Loki is perfectly fine with standing back and watching his brother being beaten within an inch of his life by someone else.

But there’s one place in Thor’s life that’s untouchable in his eyes. God of Thunder can have countless enemies and as many friends as he pleases, but he’s got only one brother and that brother is Loki and no-one-else.

He can’t out right get rid of the tiny Ironman. One, the kid is interesting – and that is a rare trait in mortals indeed. Secondly, Steve seems especially attached to the boy, and Steve...

Steve grows on people.

But he’s called the Trickster for a reason. He’s a master of spinning tales and hasn’t got an ounce of honour within him to limit his skills to the adult audience.

So the next time he witnesses Stark harassing his brother, he stands back and waits it out. Thor’s eyes have that steely-blue tint to them that means he’s at the end of his rope and young Ironman finally seems to realise that, because he throws in one last word and stalks away, probably in search of Steve.

Loki starts clapping.

That catches the attention of the kid and he can see his small dark eyebrows rising in question.

“That was really well played. I am impressed, Tony,” Loki says with utmost sincerity. True, he is impressed, young Stark is a marvel of a child. “Just a little more and he’ll be finished.”

That, in turn, changes the expression on that tan face in a snap. Stark pales and his eyes grow large.

“What do you mean by that?” he asks.

“I mean that Asgardian children are quite easy to rise. They keep everything to themselves and never complain. Did you ever heard Thor complaining about anything?”

Stark thinks for about three seconds before he shakes his head.

“Exactly. They keep it all bottled. Right until the moment it poisons them and they die. Judging by the look of his face, Thor hasn’t got a lot time left at this rate.” Loki smiles his most cruel, deranged smile and Stark actually flinches from him. “As I am sure you know, I have no great love for my brother, Tony, so it’s a pleasure watching him squirm like that. Not for much longer, sadly, but it’s still fun.”

Then he turns and leaves the slack-jawed boy to mull over the information he gave him.

Loki knows himself, so naturally he knows the Ironman, and knows that it will take him about five minutes to discard it as bullshit. After that it will be about an hour before the whole conversation comes back and starts haunting him. The rest of the day will be spent on observing Thor and trying to gauge the truth.

Not later than tomorrow Tony Stark will decide that it’s better not to tempt fate and leave the boy alone.

Loki is almost proud of himself for this one. It’s a great scheme. Sadly, wasted on a five-year old. Oh well.

*

Next day, just as Loki expected, Stark kept away from his brother. Taunting and nicknames stopped and all was good again.

That means, right until lunchtime, when Tony stood at the foot of the swing at the top of which Thor was sitting his silent vigil.

“Are you going to sit there all day?” Ironman asked, face curious and hands resting on his hips.

Thor just looked at him, calm and prepared for the worst. Loki had half a thought to disappear Stark to another dimension, because the sheer persistence of the kid...!

“The I will sit with you.”

What in the Hel?

Quick as a monkey, the boy climbed to the top of the structure and perched next to Thor, swinging his legs and looking around with interest.

“Wow, it’s really high up here. No wonder you like it. Here, I brought you some candy,” small hand opened, revealing an assortment of different-coloured jelly beans. “I nicked it from Clint, but he shoot my teddy, so it’s even, don’t you think? Stop staring and have some. There, now, do you want to play chase with me?”

Thor looked lost, but not wary anymore.

Stark looked accomplished.

Loki felt like screaming.


	4. Chapter 4

Clint was screaming. Which was interesting in on itself, because as far as Loki was aware young Hawkeye was a rather quiet child. Not silent, oh no, but whatever he’s had to say was always spoken in the normal tone of voice. Sneered. Snapped out. Growled.

Clint had a wide variety of expression when it came to vocalising his emotions.

But he never raised his voice. Not until now.

“I am going to kill you, Stark! I swear to God, I am going to shoot you in the head!”

Oh, interesting.

Not interesting enough to make Loki drop the book he was reading – Midgard’s crime fiction was surprisingly inspiring in some instances, – but still made him shift on the sofa he was lounging on so he could be closer to the window overlooking the courtyard. The kids were playing outside today; it wasn’t snowing anymore, the air was crisp and fresh, and there was absolutely no reason to stay inside. So Loki had no regrets about waking his enemies at the crack of dawn and literally throwing then out of the doors.

It was healthier this way, wasn’t it? Parental guides on Midgard insisted that children should spend as much time as possible on the fresh air. And, anyway, he and Thor were scouting the grounds outside of the palace as soon as they were allowed to get away from the breakfast table and spent every winter since they turned ten in the forests of Asgard, hunting. It was about character building and strengthening the body. A full meal of wild boar, some fresh bread and a big gulp of mead (Mother always insisted they finish their chalices to the last drop) were a healthy start of a healthy day.

“Come here, you pansy! I am going to break your nose!”

That was a little closer to the truth, the Trickster decided remotely, Clint’s bow and arrows were confiscated and kept out of sight, so there was no way he could shoot Tony. A bloody nose, now, that was a valid concern.

Not for him, of course.

“Clint, please, calm down,” Steve’s voice drifted in trough the opened window. Loki hummed under his breath. Trust Steve to get in between these two. The kid was scrawny and sickly, but never cut himself any slack. Disgusting. “And you, Tony, stop making faces! Hiding behind Thor doesn’t mean you’re in the safe, you know?”

Oh, bravo, Stark. Good move.

Thor was a humanoid-shaped breed of an anti-artillery barricade. More times than once his wide shoulders shielded Loki from the angry mobs after one of his pranks went wrong (and that thought is deleted now, because this is not the time!). Back to the subject: Sorry, Steve, it very well meant that Ironman was in the safe.

For some reason or another Thor took a shining to the tiny genius – maybe not expressed in his usual (usual BEFORE) manner, but a shining nonetheless.

And Loki was certainly not bitter about it. Not even a little!

Since  young Stark decided to be all friendly and _familiar_ with the God of Thunder, never leaving him in peace, constantly chatting up and offering stolen candy. They created an odd pair, sitting on the top of the swing, Stark talking mile-a-minute while Thor listened with a slight smile on his face; strange and annoying picture that was. Especially when, after a few minutes of working his wit, Tony decided that he was bored and _let’s go to play_!

And Thor went with him every time.

Loki didn’t even realize that he was gripping the book so tight until his nails started to puncture the pages. Oh, Hel, and it was a signed copy too. He took a deep breath and released it slowly.

It didn’t help.

“I did not mean to melt your snowman!” Tony Stark sounded almost like his old... older self. Innocence, indignation and smugness melded together into one tone. Only seven and already so daft.  “It was an experiment!”

“You and your experiments!” Clint was still shouting. It had to be something big. “Why won’t you go somewhere else with them? You just like causing trouble, don’t you?”

“Clint, that’s enough,” Steve tried to cut in, but was clearly ignored.

“I am not causing trouble! I am trying to learn what’s happened to us! And you are just getting in the way!”

Oh.

At this Loki lifted his eyes from the book. This was a new development.

After the heroes were turned into children, he’s assumed that they lost all their memories of being anything else. They acted like children, played like children, didn’t try to kill him in his sleep and accuse him of being the one responsible for all this mess. Only Thor, with his unexpected quiet demeanour, seemed to have slight preconceptions about him.

Which didn’t make Loki bitter. Even. One. Bit.

But it wasn’t the burning anger and misplaced love that the God of Mischief remembered from his brother. This was a simple caution – as if the tiny god  wasn’t sure where he was and how he got there, and tried to figure it out.

The rest of the kids was... just kids.

Stupid mistake, what a gross oversight!

But they seemed so innocent. So child-like! He couldn’t possibly overlook something of this importance!  




Or maybe... maybe he didn’t. Maybe they were just kids when he picked them up. Maybe they were slowly starting to remember?

This matter required looking into.

Right after he finishes his lecture...

“You almost burned Bruce, you idiot! Go and do your magic somewhere else!”

The book fell to the floor and Loki sat up ramrod straight so fast that he almost sprained his neck.

...It would seem not. 


	5. Chapter 5

The look on Tony’s face was defiant before Loki’s harsh voice cut into it with one knife-sharp threat.

“If you can’t concentrate enough, you will burn your hands, face and probably your brain from the inside. So I advise you to stop looking for ways to escape and concentrate, Stark.”

And, if there was one thing that Tony Stark prized more than his fast tongue, it was his even faster brain. Loki knew the weakest points of every last one of his enemies and had no qualms about exploiting them. Even if said enemy was a seven years old boy fidgeting on a chair in his study.

Magnificent little boy, who turned out to be one of the best students Loki’s ever had – as few as there were of them.

Also, one of the most stubborn ones.

Marvel. He was driving his teacher up the wall, but his brain was like a sponge and able to find solution to every problem presented to him within no more than two day’s time.

Which gave Loki immerse satisfaction and a two whole days without the tiny Ironman. Any amount of frustration with the scrawny brat was worth it. Who would have thought that the kid is even able to sit still for more than an hour? Nonetheless, locking himself in his room for two whole days with nothing but books and parchment to fill his time?

“So, start this one from the beginning,” Loki pointed at the faulty graph his student spent four hours sketching on a piece of vellum. “No!” one pointed glare quieted oncoming protests. “You want to turn stone into feathers. As it is now, it will turn you into a pile of ash as soon as you try Channelling any power trough it. I could care less, as you already know, but Steve would be disappointed.”

Steve would be disappointed in both of them if his friend was turned into a pile of ash, but Loki didn’t care.

No, really, he didn’t.

“When you finish, come down for dinner. Not a minute earlier.”

Leaving the kid to the task, Loki stalked out of the room to check on the rest of his charges.

It wasn’t hard to find them, as they were all gathered in the big room he provided for them to share. The furniture mostly consisted of beds and chairs, with two wardrobes and a little table in the corner – which was covered in paper, tubes of paint and crayons. There were also books. A lot of books.

Loki would love to skip this part of the day, he was an evil schemer after all, not a damn nanny! But he took this responsibility on his own shoulders and so it was better to play along. It made everything easier.

“Natasha, pick up the crayons,” he said in lieu of greeting, stepping into the room. “Clint, I told you to keep your sticks under the bed, didn’t I? You don’t want anyone to lose an eye on them, do you? Steve, help Bruce put away his books and, for Norn’s sake, wash your face, it’s covered in paint.”

The kids scrambled to do as they were told. Clint and Natasha rolled their eyes of course, before they moved, but Loki decided to let it go this time. They still tried to play tough, but it was all a game. He’s  made it known very early that every act of defiance has its consequences – and that he was ready to consequence the Hel out of them. They were not children, in his head, so they deserved everything they’ve got.

“Why is Thor not cleaning?” mumbled Clint, thinking probably that Loki can’t hear him from the other end of the room. “He never does anything.”

Oh. Of course.

Loki rarely ever ordered Thor around – for a simple fact that there was no actual reason for him to do so. Thor was an Asgardian child and so Midgarian rules didn’t apply to him. After all, making one’s bed was a stupid idea as far as Loki himself was concerned – if one was to fall into it at the end of the day anyway, what was the point? He told the rest to do it only because Midgarian child-rearing books were all about ‘structures’ and ‘boundaries’.

Only boundary Loki remembered from his own childhood had to do with upsetting Mother. As long as she was happy, he and Thor were allowed anything.

It had nothing to do with the Trickster trying to avoid talking to his brother. Absolutely nothing.

“If you have time to complain, Barton, you may as well help Natasha,” he snapped. Then he addressed room at large. “Dinner in fifteen minutes.” And left them to their chores.

*

“Why is Tony not eating?” Steve asked while chewing his porridge.

“He’s doing his homework,” answered Loki from the end of the table.”And do us all a courtesy of swallowing before you speak, Rogers.”

Steve’s pale face flushed red and he lowered his eyes in embarrassment, which caused Loki to look away. It was just too strange to see Captain America like this – small and weak, and, most of all, shy. What did these mortals do to the kid that turned him into a fearless leader?

This Steve Rogers wouldn’t hurt a damn fly!

“Tony will stay in his room until he’s corrected all the mistakes he’s made,” he explained.

“Why dosh he have heesh own room?” mumbled Natasha from her high chair. Lack of a front tooth made her Russian accent even harder to understand. “Heesh not a girl!”

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Clint sniggered lightly.

But the snigger died away as soon as Thor’s blue gaze rested on the archer.

Loki, internally, shuddered. Yes, Thor had Mother’s eyes...

_Oh, stop it!_

“Tony needs his own space now,” he spoke while viciously attacking a crumpet with a butter knife. “His magic is... not stable yet and it would be regretful if he managed to turn you all into frogs during sleep.”

Natasha and Steve laughed out loud and even Thor’s serious face lightened up with a small smile.

“It’s not fair, though,” Clint was, as always, unhappy.

“Well, I can move you in with him,” Loki shrugged. “See if I care if you get cursed and turn out green.”

Natasha poked Clint in the shoulder end Steve chuckled at the thought of an angry, green archer jumping around in panic. But it was a quiet voice of Bruce that caught everyone’s attention.

“Is this what happened to me?”

And for a moment everything stilled.

“Is this why I turn into a monster? Am I cursed?”

Loki almost dropped his knife. He looked into a young, chubby face of the child sitting on his left. An earnest, scared little face and shiny eyes that begged him for explanation.

“No... you are not,” he managed to choke out.

He needed air. 


End file.
